Concrete Angel
by thisentireaccountembarrassesme
Summary: This is based off the song Concrete Angel by Martina McBride. Gakuto brings happiness to everyone's lives, even though his is a ticking time bomb. Contains character death. I don't own anything!


**Just so you know, I hate myself. I hate myself, because this is like, the forth angsty fic I've written in the past freaking week. And this is the second story I've written that contains character death. I hate stories that have character death.**

***Sigh* Please read and review.**

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Mukahi Gakuto's life, to outsiders, seemed happy and fun. He was always in a good mood. Flipping, jumping, sticking close to his friends. He was constantly cracking jokes. He did good in school and did spectacular in tennis. He had a larger then life personality. Happy-go-lucky, some would describe him. He had many friends and his teachers all seemed to like him, also.

But, at home, it was all different. His father was a drunk, and his mother didn't care. Gakuto was constantly being struck by his father. Bruises, scratches and scars covered his body. Every night, he'd end up slipping out his window, trying to find some sort of release. Some sort of way to make the emotional and physical pain go away. Sometimes, he'd play tennis, or dance. He loved dancing. Only Yuushi knew that, though. Sometimes, Gakuto would dance outside the club.

Or sometimes, he'd go to Yuushi's house. Yuushi was the only one aware of what was going on in Gakuto's life. Against his better judgement, he didn't tell anyone. He only held Gakuto when he cried.

-

Gakuto walked to school slowly, wincing slightly at the pain in his leg. His father, last night, had thrown him through a window. A second story window, no less. If Gakuto hadn't of been acrobatic, it probably would of hurt him worse then it did. His leg was shredded. And probably a bit sprained. Bruises also dotted his face. He tired to cover some of them up with makeup... But it didn't work to well. His father smashed him against the wall a few times.

_She walks to school with the lunch she packed_

_Nobody knows what she's holding back_

_Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday_

_She's got the bruises with the linen and lace_

_Ohhh..._

At school, the teacher took Gakuto to the all and asked him about his wounds. Gakuto replied with the usual, "Oh... Well, you know, I'm on the tennis team and everything. I'm a very acrobatic player. I like to flip and stuff. It's my specialty. I've been trying some new things lately. Sometimes I mess up and get injured. It's all fine, though. It's being taken care of. Don't worry." He then plastered on a bright smile and proceeded to do several front hand springs down the hall to prove it. Which hurt like hell.

_The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask_

_It's hard to see the pain behind the mask_

_Bearing the burden of a secret stone._

_Sometimes she wishes she was never born._

No matter how many times Gakuto's father hit him, he always stood strong. He always made sure he was there for his team and his friends. He played and practiced every day. He helped his friends out with homework, personal issues, and other things. He still won several games with the help of his doubles partner. He still hung out after school like everything was normal. And, even though sometimes he was in pain, he'd fix things around the house. He'd still keep his grades up. He'd still win every game thrown at him. All if it. As if everything was normal. Even though it wasn't.

_Through the wind_

_And the rain_

_She stands hard as a stone_

_In a world that she can't rise above.  
But her dreams_

_Give her wings_

_But she flies to a place where she's loved_

_Concrete Angel._

Gakuto had never made a noise before, when his father hit him. Never. Not even when he was thrown out the window. But, that one faithful night, he couldn't hold it in. Not at all.

As soon as he slipped through the front door, his father grabbed him and threw him against the wall.

Gakuto almost yelped in surprise and pain, but managed not to. Alright, so, he just had to withstand this for a while. He could deal. He always did.

His father threw him around a bit, crashing him into tables, chairs, walls, and couches, yelling about nothing in particular. Everything was normal, really. Even the baseball bat was normal. The kicking was normal. But the knife... That wasn't normal. Gakuto wasn't able to contain the screams and yelps of pain when his father cut him.

_Somebody cries in the middle of the night_

_The neighbors hear but they turn out the light_

_A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate.  
When morning comes it'll be too late._

Yuushi was asleep when his cell phone rang. It was like, midnight after all. He rolled over and picked up his cell phone, looking at the number with blurry eyes.

"Atobe?" He muttered, frowning. He sat up and flipped open his phone. "Hello?"

"Yuushi." There was a bit of shuffling and gentle thumps on the other line followed by Atobe's voice. "There's been a police call involving screams coming from Gakuto's house. They say it might be domestic violence."

Yuushi's blood ran cold. Within seconds, he was up and pulling on a jacket, not even caring that all he was wearing was a pair of maroon colored pajama pants. "The rest of the team?"

"I'm about to call them." Atobe replied. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

With that, they hung up. Yuushi rushed downstairs, past his still awake mother, and out the door, ignoring her questions. He _ran_ to Gakuto's house.

_Through the wind_

_And they rain_

_She stands hard as a stone_

_In a world that she can't rise above._

_But her dreams_

_Give her wings_

_And she flies to a place where she's loved_

_Concrete Angel_

When he got there, there was police tape up. He immediately spotted the team. They were they only group of middle schoolers in pajamas.

Atobe in a pair of silky ones, with a silky robe over it. He hadn't even bothered to fix his hair. Kabaji and Hiyoshi were dressed in plain colored pajamas with tennis shoes and jackets. Jirou was clinging to Atobe's side, crying and wearing a pair of pajamas with clouds on them. Choutarou was wearing a pair of plain, pale blue, cotton pajamas. He hadn't even bothered to grab his jacket. Shishido handed Choutarou his jacket without taking his eyes off the house. He was wearing plain black pajamas.

Yuushi approached them, wrapping his jacket tightly around his body. "Any news?" He asked quietly.

Atobe wordlessly shook his head.

Just then, a few guys wheeled a gurney out with something human-shaped on it and a sheet over it. Not seconds after, Gakuto's father was led out in cuffs. Yuushi put two and two together and got...

"Oh, God..." He murmured. The tears came fast. Fast and hard. This couldn't be happening. Not to Gakuto. Not the happy-go-lucky best friend he had since they were twelve. The acrobat couldn't be... He was only sixteen. This wasn't fair! Gakuto never did anything wrong! Nothing! He had great grades, he was an awesome tennis player, he was a good kid!

Yuushi's legs gave out on him. He was falling until Shishido caught him. Shishido, and Choutarou, and Atobe. Kabaji, Hiyoshi, and Jirou, too. They all held him. They all cried. Their best friend, their fellow tennis player, the boy who managed to bring joy to everyone around them, the kid who could make anyone smile by a simple gesture, was gone. He wasn't coming back. He never would. They'd never see that bright smile. They'd never see him flip through the air and cheer in victory. The tennis team would never be the same. Ever. Yuushi could hardly feel the will to move on. Not without his partner by his side.

_A statue stands in a shaded place_

_An angel girl with an upturned face._

_A name is written on a polished rock._

_A broken heart that the world forgot._

Of course, the whole team attended Gakuto's funeral. Neither Mukahi's father or mother came. Which was good. If they did, Yuushi might of committed murder right then and there.

All of Hyotei's regulars spoke at the service. Atobe talked about how many games they won because of Gakuto. How, even if they lost, the atmosphere was never bad. Gakuto would say, "We'll win next time! Katsu no wa Hyotei!"**

Jirou had talked about how close him and Gakuto were. Sometimes, they'd dance in front of the club together. "People loved Gakuto naturally." Jirou said, tears streaming silently down his face. "They were compelled to talk to him and get to know him..."

Even Shishido, Kabaji, and Hiyoshi talked.

Yuushi's speech was the longest. And the saddest...

"Mukahi Gakuto was my best friend." Yuushi said quietly. He was already crying. "We met when we were twelve. They paired us up as partner's from the start. We've only lost a few games in our partnership. Gakuto was always able to bring joy to anyone. With a simple smile, or a hug... You could be having the worst day ever, and Gakuto would of found a way to make you smile. He had the biggest personality ever. He was perfect in every way. He had the smallest body... But he was probably one of the best players on our team. Without him, we wouldn't of been able to do anything. I'm sad to say... That I never got to tell him I love him."

The team wasn't surprised by this. At all. They figured it, really. Other's seemed a little surprised. Some seemed sad. A few burst into tears.

Gakuto Mukahi wouldn't go un-missed. Every second of every day Yuushi's heart would ache for him. The tennis team might to be able to win another game without him. He was loved by so many people.

He would be remembered forever.

_Through the wind_

_And the rain_

_She stands hard as a stone_

_In a world that she can't rise above_

_But her dreams_

_Give her wings  
And she flies to a place where's she's loved._

_Concrete Angel~_

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**** Katsu no wa Hyotei = Hyotei will win!**

**I think besides the fact that Gakuto doesn't wear a dress, and is a boy, the lyrics fit great with this fic. The song is Concrete Angel by Martina McBride. I cried while writing this... :/**


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